Basin Electric original incorporator Donald E. Waugh
Waugh worked for newspapers most of his life.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
- October 6, 2011
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| Don Waugh |
Donald E. Waugh was born in Miner County, SD, on Sept. 30, 1928, to William and Norma Waugh. He grew up in the Madison, SD, area, where he went to school, and worked for a time as a typesetter at the Madison Daily Leader. He was a veteran of the Korean War serving in the United States Army 11th Airborne Division. After leaving the Army, he attended the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. He was married to Donna McLain in Madison June 12, 1954.
He worked for a time as advertising manager at the Madison Daily Leader and in retail advertising sales at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. In 1958 he went to Salem, SD, where he was editor and publisher of the Salem Special until 1969. It was during this time he became an original incorporator of Basin Electric.
The Waugh’s had six children: two sons, Jim and Bill, and four daughters, Mary Jo, Terry, Cathy and Jane.
Waugh was a member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus and had been active in the Lions Club, the Jaycees, the Boy Scouts and the American Red Cross. He was a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.
In 1970 they moved to Woodward, OK, where he published the Woodward County Journal until 1979. In 1980 he moved to Stillwater, OK, where he lived until July of 1981, when he moved to Sioux Falls, SD.
Donna died Feb. 23, 1981, and Don died Oct. 27, 1981.
On May 5, 1961, 69 people from several states gathered at the Patterson Hotel in Bismarck, ND, to sign Articles of Incorporation for Basin Electric. Their names are on a brass plaque immediately outside of the main entrance to the Headquarters building. Kathi Risch, Basin Electric senior staff writer/editor, has been seeking information about the original incorporators and compiling these profiles.
In the next several months, prior to the cooperative’s 50th anniversary celebration to be held at the 2011 annual meeting on Nov. 9, Risch will share what she has uncovered. If you have information you would like to share about a Basin Electric original incorporator and you haven’t been contacted, please call Risch at 701-557-5606 or send information, photo scans, etc. to krisch@bepc.com.
See all the original incorporators profiled to date.
Headquarters
1717 East Interstate Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58503-0564 USA
Phone: 701.223.0441
Basin Electric Power Cooperative will provide cost-effective wholesale energy along with products and services that support and unite rural America.
